G. Mennen Williams, 76, Is Dead; Governor and Justice in Michigan

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G. Mennen Williams, the former Governor of Michigan who later served as Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court and as a Federal official in the Departments of State and Justice, died yesterday at St. John's Hospital in Detroit after suffering a massive cerebral stroke. He was 76 years old and lived in Grosse Pointe Farms, near Detroit.

A spokesman for the Supreme Court in Lansing, Thomas Farrell, said yesterday that Mr. Williams was stricken at home Monday night. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition and never regained consciousness.

Mr. Williams, who was given the nickname Soapy because his grandfather founded the Mennen Company, maker of soaps and toiletries, won six gubernatorial elections, more than any other Michigan chief executive.

After he served as Governor from 1949 through 1960, President Kennedy appointed him Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, a post he held until 1966. Traveling widely, he studied the needs of countries in the birth pangs of independence and brought their pleas for American investment and trust to Washington. Lost Senate Bid

He returned to Michigan in 1966 and saw his bid for the United States Senate buried in a Republican landslide. President Johnson appointed him Ambassador to the Philippines in 1968, but in 1970 Mr. Williams was back home again, where he won election to the Michigan Supreme Court. A vote of his peers elevated him to Chief Justice in January 1983.

As required by state law, he retired at the end of 1986 at the age of 75.

Since his retirement from the bench, he had taught a course at the University of Detroit Law School and headed a leadership program at Oakland University in Rochester, Mich.

Through his twelve years as Governor, Mr. Williams was instantly recognizable in public with his polka-dot bowties, crew cut and untiring, glad-handing ways. His height alone, 6 feet 3 inches, made him stand out on the stump or at the square dances he liked to lead as a caller. Family Was Devoutly Republican

Gerhard Mennen Williams was born Feb. 23, 1911, in Detroit, the son of Henry P. Williams, a successful pickle manufacturer and real estate broker. His mother was the former Elma Mennen, whose father, Gerhard, founded the Mennen Company.

His family was Episcopalian and Republican. Young Gerhard attended the Salisbury School in Connecticut before going to Princeton, where he headed the Young Republican Club, won two varsity letters and belonged to the rowing team. He also earned high honors at the university's School of Public and International Affairs, graduating in 1933.

By the time he graduated high in his class from the University of Michigan Law School in 1936, he had parted company with the Republican Party and his family's faith in it. He went to Washington and, as a lawyer for the Social Security board, helped prepare the briefs that got the Social Security Act upheld in the Supreme Court.

In 1938, Gov. Frank Murphy of Michigan made him an Assistant Attorney General and, incidentally, confirmed Mr. Williams's conversion to the Democratic Party. After Mr. Murphy became United States Attorney General, he called his protege to Washington in 1939 as his executive assistant. Served on Aircraft Carriers

Mr. Williams was commissioned into the Naval Reserve in 1942 and served as an air combat intelligence officer on aircraft carriers, earning the Legion of Merit.

Discharged as a lieutenant commander in 1946, he worked for the Office of Price Administration in Michigan and, in 1948, was appointed by Gov. Kim Sigler, a Republican, as a member of the State Liquor Board.

Mr. Williams overcame an initial reluctance and let himself be entered into the 1948 gubernatorial race by the Michigan Democratic Club, a group of young liberals. With the support of organized labor, he narrowly won the nomination and went on to defeat Governor Sigler's bid for re-election by a hefty margin in a major upset.

Mr. Williams established a strong record with the appointment of blacks and laws against racial discrimination in employment and housing. He enlisted support for his programs through bipartisan study panels. Yet his tenure turned into a 12-year struggle with Republicans over tax policy.

Mr. Williams wanted to raise revenues through personal and corporate income taxes, but the Legislature balked. The resulting stalemate was believed to have sealed Mr. Williams' decision not to seek re-election in 1960. Gained Diplomatic Respect

Instead, he accepted President Kennedy's offer to run the State Department's new Bureau of African Affairs.

Ever the politician, he shook hands and posed for pictures with everyone in sight, from prime ministers to villagers. His eager pursuit of United States policy goals gained the respect of career diplomats who at first were skeptical of his talents.

The same held true among his peers on Michigan's highest bench, although he was not particularly well known for his judicial career. He counted among the more important cases he presided over those involving environmental protection, Indian fishing rights and conditions for accepting voluntary guilty pleas. As Chief Justice, he directed his efforts toward bringing uniform standards to all the state courts.

Mr. Williams is survived by his wife, the former Nancy Lace Quirk; a son, Gerhard M., of Philadelphia; two daughters, Nancy Ketterer of Boston, and Wendy Burns of Grosse Pointe; a brother, Richard, also of Grosse Pointe, and eight grandchildren. A funeral service is to be held at 11 A.M. Friday at Detroit's Episcopal Cathedral of St. Paul.

A version of this obituary appears in print on February 3, 1988, on Page B00006 of the National edition with the headline: G. Mennen Williams, 76, Is Dead; Governor and Justice in Michigan. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe